[Representation of the phrenic nerve in the cerebral cortex]

Electrical stimulation of the phrenic nerve gives rise to early (with latency of 8--12 msec) and late (with latency of 30--40 msec) surface-positive potentials in the contralateral sensory-motor cortex of cats. The early potentials occur only in two discrete areas of the rostral part of the posterior sigmoid gyrus: just rostromedial to the post-cruciate dimple and at the lateral tip of the cruciate sulcus. In contrast to the early potentials, the late ones can be recorded not only from the whole surface of the posterior sigmoid gyrus but also from the anterior sigmoid gyrus. The early potentials presumably appear on stimulation of group I muscle afferents. It is possible that impulses reaching the cerebral cortex from the phrenic nerve participate in provocation of the sensation of breathlessness.